Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Hey everyone! Haha I always think I'm never going to let myself get behind on blogging, but darn college and work takes my "extra" time away! So here's what's been happening the past twoish or so weeks! : )

First, the week of Thanksgiving the weather was terrible and all my classes were canceled. We were basically trapped in our dorms for three days, ahhh! : P My parents were able to come visit us though and we had a great time! My parents brought up most of the food, but my brother and I got the pie materials and the turkey. I spent all Wednesday night baking! I made two pumpkin pies, one pecan pie, and a chocolate pie for my dad! : ) Then on Thursday we cooked all day and sat down to a great dinner. Then we went black friday shopping, and on Saturday I worked at Cold Stones and my parents left on Sunday! : ( I miss them so much, but I can't wait to see them again during Christmas break. Yay!! ^_^

Our full fridge!

Putting toppings on corn casserole.

Some of our feast! : )

Full, full, full!! : )

The pies I made.

My parents also came to see me at Cold Stones! They took pictures, ordered ice cream and shakes, and made my co workers and I sing! Ahh thanks guys! : P < 3

Last Tuesday was my last Pastry Tube art class! We made pastry cream and piped them into swans and stuck them together using pastry cream. Easy and fun! : )

During cooking on Wednesday we had a dairy and cheese day! My group made mac and cheese! Other groups made alfredo, fondue, and souffles and we also had a cheese plate with a bunch of different cheeses to try, yum!

Finally, on Thursday we made low fat cakes. My partner and I made a chiffon type cake and others made different chiffons, angel food cakes, sponge rolls, and icings and different creams. We tasted all the cakes from two weeks ago and thursdays and we also had ice cream that we made in the past! : )

These next two weeks are my finals week and my last week this year working at Cold Stone! I had my Sanitation final today and I have my practical for baking and Cooking tomorrow and Thursday. Then next week I have four more written finals! I'm busy studying!!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

On Tuesday, during Pastry Tube Art, we had our midterm by showing off how we could make stars, rosettes, zig zags, and more. I think I have improved a lot! : )

On Wednesday we made steak, sauce, risotto, and sauted veggies. I don't eat steak, so two other girls and myself cut one into three parts so we all three wouldn't waste a whole steak in the end! The cooking is the same, it just takes less to to brown in the pan in the beginning!

Yummmy, brown! x0

On Thursday we made high fat cakes! I made a high ratio yellow cake, and a creaming method chocolate cake! We also made some crepes that we filled half with nutella, and half with a savory meat mixture.They were easy, and straight forward. We had a yummy ice cream and cake party afterwards and I was full, full, full! : )

Yellow cake!

Chocolate cake!

Friday and Saturday were full of Cold Stone working! I worked till midnight on Friday, but I love my job so I didn't really mind! : )

Monday, November 15, 2010

Recaps, recaps! Haha photobucket has been mean to me the past few days and didn't want to upload pictures, but really I just forgot to take a lot of them, but I will bring us up to date with words! x0

So two Thursdays ago in baking class we made a ton of cream puffs for this event we were putting on. We made savory ones and sweet ones, but I'm just not really a fan of them either way. x0

Then on that Sunday we had a Holiday bazaar at the campus. Our culinary club had a table and I had to support them by buying, and trying to eat this giant moose cupcake!

It was a twinkie dipped in chocolate over a cupcake that was frosted. The ears were made of tootsie rolls, and the antlers were pipped chocolate (remember I did those a few weeks ago in Pastry Tube art? ^ _^ ) and the eyes were m&ms! So much sugar! x0

On Tuesday for Pastry Tube art we made chocolate butter cookies, and gingersnaps, again! We were supposed to make snickerdoodles but the chef didn't have a recipe, and didn't want to look for one, so we resorted to gingersnaps. I think they tasted better this time around though! The chocolate butter cookies were amazing too, they tasted like a warm, gooey brownie to me!: )

On Wednesday our main chef was sick so the next chef in line took his place to teach the class. We learned how to cook fish in different ways, grill shrimp, and saute and simmer broccoli!

Looks good huh? : P

Finally this past Thursday we made ice cream and ice cream sauces!! I made vanilla bean ice cream, and it was pretty amazing in my opinion! I also made dark chocolate sauce, but I didn't really like it because I had to put in orange extract, and I'm not a fan of orange and chocolate together. Other teams made pumpkin ice cream, and caramel ice cream and caramel, strawberry, and milk chocolate sauce. It was a tasty day!

I've also had some good Chinese food, sneaks of ice cream at Cold Stones, a pint of Ben and Jerry's, and some good coffee among many other things these past 12 days since I last blogged!

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Haha they were fun to make! We cracked a bunch of eggs, removed the shells, cut them in half, removed the yolk, cleaned out all the yolk, and then made the inside with the egg yolks mixed with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Tabasco sauce! Then we pipped the mixture into the eggs!

Then today in my cooking class we all pan-fried chicken, made pan gravy, sauted spinach, and made mashed potatoes. My chicken was spiced with just salt and pepper, but my spinach and potatoes were amazing! I am my moms daughter, and I added dill to both of them, and it was so tasty! I had garlic, onion powder, and dill in the mashed potatoes, and with the spinach I added sauted onions and carrots with a salt and pepper mix and a chili powder and dill mix! Sooo good!

My plate!

Just got done doing a lot of homework! Baking class tomorrow and Coldstone work this weekend, can't wait! See you guys soon!!

Here's a recap on my cooking class on Wednesday and my baking class on Thursday! ^_^

So on cooking class this week we did a section on chickens! We all had to make sauce, and then partway cook our chicken over the broiler and then finish it in the oven! The chef really liked mine, he said I had a good balance of colors. : )

We also made side salads with our own salad dressings. Mine was made with apple cider vinegar and olive oil!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hey everyone! Today's Pastry Tube art class went a lot better then last week! This week we pipped chocolate into moose antlers to go on the top of some cupcakes our school is going to try and sell for the holiday bazzar that is coming up! The chef needed it to get done, and aha since we are in pastry tube art, and they get pipped out, we got the task of getting the job done! x0

Yay for moose antlers!!

We went through so many pastry bags made with parchment paper, and the chocolate was so hot I'm sure none of us have fingertips anymore!!

The chef had to break done about three giant slabs of chocolate to get the job done!

Finally after two hours of pipping, the chef got out some cookies from the freezer, dipped them in the leftover chocolate, and sent us on our way! : )

So the past three days, I have gone out to eat lunch at three different places, but with the same friend!

On Sunday, we went to Gulliver's Book Store, which is this amazing bookstore with a cafe upstairs. We both got pesto turkey wraps, and cinnamon spice lattes which are like Starbucks Pumpkin spice lattes, but ten times better!

On Monday, we went to a little coffee shop near my culinary school where we split a garlic pizza with artichokes and tomatoes, and she got a white chocolate mocha, and I got an iced vanilla latte. Then for dessert, she had an amazing piece of tirimisu she let me have a few bits of, and I had yummy creme brulee!

Finally, today for lunch we went to Sourdough Sam's Cafe! She had an omelet, hash browns, and biscuits with gravy, and I had a blueberry creme with a side of hash browns!

(Nom! Yay for whipped cream! ^_^ )

Then, for dessert we both had warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream!

I was so happy to spend three days of a row with this amazing friend and am going to miss her so much!!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Hey, hey everyone! Woo it's been a hectic, but good past two weeks! Two Wednesdays ago, we made cooked a lot of different foods using moist heat methods. We boiled chicken and poached shrimp, braised beef in a pan, and then finished it by baking it in the oven, and cooked fish in paper and oil in the oven. Then, each group had a side dish to prepare, and our group made apple cabbage by boiling apples and cabbage together with cider, white wine, and water! Then at the end we all tasted each others dishes, it was a lot of fun!

On Thursday, we had our baking midterm! First, we had a written midterm, with 50 questions, and then we had the practical were we each had to make chocolate chip cookies, cranberry citrus muffins, and flaky pie dough. We had 45 minutes to set up or Mise en place all of our ingredients and equipment, and then 2 and a half hours to bake everything! I made my pie dough first, and let it cool for 30 minutes. While it was cooling I made up my muffins, then took out the pie dough, and put the muffins in the oven. While the muffins were cooking I rolled out my pie dough and let it blind bake. When the muffins and pie dough were finished I began working on the cookies, and baked them. I was finished exactly at the end of our 2 and a half hours! I had to wait around to talk to the chefs, but I cleaned and did a lot of dishes. When they finally talked to me they said my pie dough was almost perfect, just a little too thins, and that I make perfectly shaped and identical products, I just need to work on not mixing too much!

On Friday and Saturday, I worked at Coldstones and had a blast, like I always do! ^_^

Then on last Tuesday I had Intro and Sanitation. We are now on the math section, and boy was everyone confused! Our short quiz took about 45 minutes! Basic math is so much harder then pre calc! x0 Later that night at Pastry Tube art we were supposed to make pipped mashed potatoes, but halfway through the class it got really stressful and let's just say not very fun. I just hope tomorrow is a lot better! ^_^

On Wednesday, we had our Culinary 1 midterm! It was 100 questions of doom! I think I did pretty good though, because I only felt confused on a few questions! Then in the kitchen we worked on our knife cuts and cut onions, celery, potatoes, garlic, carrots, basil, and more!

Then, on Thursday, we got our scores back from our written midterm, and I got a B minus! I'm sad it's not higher, but I'm so happy it isn't lower! We then talked about what we think our classes need to be better, and then in the kitchen we worked on making muffins, biscuits, and pie dough. My pie dough was perfect, but It didn't bake properly because the ovens kept getting open and shut over and over. My muffins still were a little overmixed, but they were better then the ones I made on my midterm, and my biscuits were nice and buttery, yet a little underdone!

On Friday and Saturday I worked at Coldstone and made myself a nice mix of white chocolate ice cream, oreos, chocolate fudge, and peanut butter cups, yum! I'm going to be sooo sad when we stop making White Chocolate ice cream! I can't wait for dark chocolate mint, and pumpkin though! ^_^

On Sunday I had lunch with my friend J and then that night my brother and some of his friends, and I, ordered Chinese food, and I got the greatest fortune ever! It said: "The Great Wall Didn't Got Build In One Day!" ... Didn't got build. Ahhh I love it. x0

Finally today, Monday, I had lunch with my friend J again, and we split a amazing pizza and both had coffee and desset. I had creme Brulle and she had tirimisu. We each had a few bites of each others and it was so good! I can't wait to go back to that coffee place! Then, when I checked my mail today I got my: HELLO KITTY TOASTER! : ) It is supposed to make hello kittys face on the toast, I hope it works, I will have to test it in the morning!

Well there was my looong recap of the past few weeks in my life of Culinary and just good food! I will try to get some pictures up soon and not go so long without posting! I had to keep studying for my Sanitation midterm tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hey guys! I haven't posted in a week because my camera has gone missing! : ( So I will recap with words! ; )

On Wednesday, we cooked chicken and zucchini three different ways. We baked the chicken covered, and uncovered in the oven, and roasted one on the grill and we sauteed, grilled, and deep fried the zucchini. I loved the grilled and friend zucchini, but I felt like my sauteed zucchini was just too salty!

In my baking class on Thursday we made different fruit pies. We made flaky and mealy pie doughs, chilled them, and then rolled them out and either baked them whole or blind baked them and then baked them with filling. My group made fresh apple pie, and other groups made peach, blueberry, and quiche! I loooved the blueberry pie the best! : )

This weekends food fun was when I checked my mail and I got a piece of paper saying my dad had gotten me a subscription to the Food Network Magazine! Thanks daddy! : ) Also, I got four boxes of Clif Bars from my mom! I love you guys!! : )

Now today in Pastry Tube Art, we pipped out eclairs and puff pastries and made whip cream. It was a fun process, but I didn't really enjoy them because of the liquor that was added to the cream! x0

Since my recap is over, let's move on to today! While searching Fredflare.com today I found even more foodie stuff I would love to own! : )

Squeee! A doughnut pillow! Super cute!

I love this recipe box, super adorable! ^_^

Hello Kitty AND candy? It's a win, win situation!

An ice cream kitchen timer will make waiting for baked goods even more fun!

Well I'm off to study for my baking midterm, and my quiz for cooking tomorrow! Love you all!!

Pa-Pa-Pa Poke her face!

The name's Lizzie. I am a high school graduate on her way to becoming a baker! I am currently enrolled in Culinary School, and I can't wait to make some magic in the kitchen! I love everything from eating giant ice cream sundaes, to laughing about nothing with my best friends. I love to bake and want to share my moments of fun with everyone else!